UCLA has filed an appeal regarding the ruling against freshman small forward Shabazz Muhammad that declared him ineligible to compete for the Bruins at the present time.

Coach Ben Howland said on a Wednesday afternoon conference call that the appeal will be heard Friday by the NCAA and that the school hoped to receive a ruling soon afterward.

Shabazz Muhammad was ruled ineligible, but UCLA has filed an appeal that will be heard on Friday. (AP Photo)

Howland said the university can have no further comment on the matter prior to the hearing.

A 6-6 small forward expected to start for the Bruins, Muhammad was the No. 2 prospect in the 2012 recruiting class according to Scout.com, after a stellar career at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas.

The NCAA declared Muhammad ineligible to compete in current games on the basis of its conclusion that he received improper benefits from an outside party to cover his expenses on three unofficial visits to two member schools. The NCAA did not make a final ruling on Muhammad as it continued an investigation.

The family subsequently announced that it had sought prior approval of that arrangement.

“Ron Holmes and Ben Lincoln received approval from NCAA -- through its member universities for Mr. Lincoln (who has had a continuous close friendship with Shabazz’s family since 2007) to pay for airline tickets and hotel rooms,” according to a statement from the family released Tuesday to the Los Angeles Times.

"Shabazz’s family is very distressed by the NCAA’s recent decision and the manner in which it was announced,” the Muhammad family wrote. “Shabazz and his family have been cooperating with the NCAA for well over a year. Earlier this year, the NCAA asked Shabazz and his family not to reveal to each other or to the press facts related to the NCAA investigation. Despite the many untrue rumors which were circulating on the Internet, Shabazz and his family dutifully did what they were told.

“In order to entice Shabazz’s family and others to cooperate, the NCAA repeatedly gave assurances that it would keep details of the investigation strictly confidential. As recently as November 2012, the NCAA promised that it would not issue a press release. Last Friday, the NCAA released a press release which not only was wrong in its conclusions but which also inaccurately portrayed the investigation process in this case.”